Means for mounting metal wall panels



- Jan. 5, 1954 R, ox 2,664,978

MEANS FOR MOUNTING METAL WALL PANELS Filed May 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l I. i 2 Z l '3 1 UHHHIH W i j 15 l v j Jm/enfif.

R. E. FOX

MEANS FOR MOUNTING METAL WALL PANELS v Jan. 5, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 25, 1950 Patented Jan. 5, T954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS FOR MOUNTING METAL WALL PANELS Richard E. Fox, Glenview, Ill., assignor of onehalf to General Porcelain Enameling and Manufactoring Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 25, 1950, Serial No. 164,193

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to a new and improved means for installing metal wall panels on a building wall.

Metal panels, and particularly porcelain enamel steel panels, are rapidly gaining popularity as a surface covering for both interior and exterior walls. The panels are durable, and have unusual resistance to abrasion. They are pleasing in appearance, require practically no maintenance, and they are easily cleaned.

Porcelain enamel panels are particularly adapted to uses where rigid sanitation is a requisite, where the appearance of absolute cleanliness is a commercial asset, and where the character of the building demands the high attention value contributed by the color and brilliance of porcelain.

An object of my invention is to provide means for mounting metal wall panels that is characterized by the extreme ease with which installation can be accomplished. My invention is capable of reducing the installation expense of previous practices by about 50% in most cases. The invention also insures that the panels will lie in a common, desired plane irrespective of the presence of minor surface irregularities in the wall on which they are mounted.

Another object of my invention is to eliminate certain time consuming practices that have been followed in the past, and which greatly add to the expense of installing metal wall panels. In brief, the invention eliminates the use of horizontal and vertical wood furring members which heretofore have usually been considered necessary, as well as the use of a considerable number of separate mounting clips for each panel. The use of several mounting clips for each panel necessitates a high degree of care in properly locating each clip. Also, the wood furring members are subject to objectional deterioration which sometimes creates otherwise unnecessary maintenance problems.

Still another object of the invention is to provide cooperating bosses on adjacent panels that function to uniformly space adjacent panels for the introduction of caulking material at the joints between panels.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentas the description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawing which illustrate certain forms of the invention. It is to be understood, of course, that in practical, commercial applications of the invention various details might well vary somewhat from those here shown and described.

Inthe drawings:

I .Fig. .1 is a front elevational view of several panels held in place by one form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a. sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing further details of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a plan view illustrating the construction of a semi-finished panel used with the invention;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a finished panel;

Fig. 6' is a perspective view of one of the strips forming a part of the invention;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line l-'! of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a front elevational view of several panels held in place by another form of my invention;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a perspective sectional view taken generally on line Ill-l0 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a plan view showing the construction of a semi-finished panel used with this form of the invention;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of one of the strips of this form;

gig. 13 is a perspective view of a finished panel, an I Fig. 14 is a sectional view on line l4-l4 of. Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates a number of metal panels I5 installed in accordanoe with one form of my invention. This form normally is used where the width of the wall to be covered with panels is large compared with the height of such wall.

The size of panels [5 may vary over a considerable range, although it has been found that a maximum practical size is about 12 sq. ft. Normally the panels are somewhat smaller, and a typical average size is, say, two feet by three feet.

Panels [5 have rearwardly extending lateral flanges l6 that function to stiffen the panels, provide means for mounting the panels, and enable proper caulking between horizontally adjacent panels. Flanges I6 are usually about an inch in depth. Also, the panels are normally provided with top and bottom rearwardly extending flanges I! that stiffen the panels and enable proper caulking between vertically adjacent panels.

It will be noted that bottom flange I! has a downwardly extending flange l8 which, when the panel is installed, bears against the underlying wall [9 (Figs. 2 and 3). Flange l8 has an additional purpose, and that is to space the lower portion of the panel a distance from the wall that corresponds to a spacing produced by the element next to be described.

The main element of my improved mounting means is all elongated rigid strip 20, best shown 3 in Fig. 6. This strip is made from relatively heavy stock, say II gauge metal, for example. A strip 20, in the form illustrated, has a generally central, longitudinal bend. When the strip is properly mounted on a wall along a horizontal line, the longitudinal bend divides the strip into lower portion 2| and upper portion 22 (Fig. 6),. The latter bends out of the plane of the lower. portion to the extent of an acute angle, say 45 degrees.

r A plurality of strips 20 are mounted on a wall l9 in vertically spaced relation;'the distance between two adjacent strips being slightly in excess of the panel height where caulking betwecn panels is used. If there is to be no caulking, then the strip spacing will be essentially the same as the panel height. The length of strips 20 is usually largecompared to a panel width, and in an aver: age size installation a singlestrip l2 extendsall the way across the wall.

Strips 20 must be accurately fastened to the wall along 'horizontal'lines; and they must be parallel with each other. For fastening, each strip is provided with spaced circular holes 24, (Figs. 1 and 6) in portion 2|, and, if desired, elongated holes 25 may be placedadjacent the circular holes.

'Elongated holes 25, if provided, are used for approximately positioning the strips on the building wall. A nail or the like is passed through holes 25 and driven into the wall to temporarily position the strip while the permanent location is being accurately determined. This temporary location procedure is particularly useful in case the strips are being installed on a masonry wall wherein holes must be drilled in the masonry to receive suitable expansion devices. The drilled holes, of course, are located to register with circular holes 24 of the strip, and they are conveniently and accurately made when the strips are temporarily positioned by means of the elongated holes 25. This eliminates the possibility of error in spacing the permanentrholes, as well as provides a convenient means for aligning the holes along thedesired horizontal line;

When the permanent expansion bolts or other strip anchoring means 21 (Figs. Z'and 3) are properly in place, the lower portions 2| of strips 20 are flush with the wall. Upper portions 22 extend away from the wall at upwardly facing acute" angles, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

As mentioned, adjacent strips 20'may be spaced from each other a proper distance so that there willlbe a small space between vertically adjacent panels. This space is providedfor the reception of a caulking compound.

Lateral flanges ii of panels l5 are cut away in part toprovide slots 32. These slots are inclined, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5,'and the slot on onelateral flange of a panel is in horizontal alignment with the slot in the other lateral flange. Each inclined .slot.32 makes a hook out .of the upper adjacent flange portion, andthese hooks interfit with upper portions 22 of strips 20, wherebythe panels are supported by and retained on the strips.

Lateral flanges I6 may. also have bosses 33that are adapted to abut horizontally adjacent panels, or coresponding bosses thereon, to thereby properly space the panelsfor the reception of caulking material 35. (Fig. 1). at the vertical panel joints.

Installation of panels with the above described first formjoi my invention. is accomplished by first fastening strips 20 in proper position on a wall. As mentioned above, this operation is simplified, particularly on masonry walls, if temporary mounting holes 25 are. provided and used. It is apparent that strips 20 must be located with a reasonable degree of accuracy so that there will be proper spacing between vertically adjacent panels.

When strips 20 are properly fastened on the wall, panels I5 are then put in place by interfitting slots 32 of lateral flanges IS with the angular upper portions 22 of the strips. This work progressesfrom the lowermost tier to the next higher tier, etc. It will be seen that the next higher tier. of panels in each case locks the lower panels against removal.

When a number of panels have been placed, the desired caulking material 30 and 35 may be applied at the horizontal and vertical panel joints. Caulking material is normally used in outside installations to waterproof the wall and toaccommodate thermal expansion and contraction of the panels. It is less important on. interior installations and often not used, In thiscase, the strips might be so spaced that the vertically adjacent panels would abut, and the bosses 3; might beeliminated to enable horizontally adjacent panels-to abut,

It will be noted in Figs. 2 and 3 that. lower portion 2-] of strip 20 lies between the wall and the panel flanges l6. It is to compensate for this spacing that the aiorementi oned downwardly extending flange i8 is provided along. the bottom ofeach panel. This flange, as will be seen in Fig. 2, bears against the wall and insures that the panelwill be properly supported, and will lie in a vertical. plane' As. therelative dimensions are exaggerated somewhat on the drawing for clarity, the increasedthickness of strip portion 2i as. compared to the thickness of the panel material isofiset by a slight lengthening of the rearwardly. extending bottom flange IT.

The. second form of my invention is illustrated in Figs. 8-13. This. form, while possessing all the advantages of the firstform, normally would be. used where the vertical dimension of the wall to be covered with panels-is greater than the Wall-width.

The panels used with thisform are in general the, same as. thoseabovedescribed, with the exception thatthere is. a modification in the lateral flanges, here numbe ed. Flanges! are some; what Wider than the top and bottom flanges and the portionscut away. are difierent from their counterparts in the first form, as will be seen.

Here again my mounting means utilizes elon; gated rigid strips. Such astrip preferably takes the form of a channel 42, one leg 43 of which is. provided with spaced holes 44 for fastening the channel on a wall. Channels "are adapted to be fastened to the wall in vertically extending, spaced parallelrelation, the spacing between channels corresponding generally with the panel width.

The other leg 45 of the channel is provided with a plurality of spaced slots 45 therein, there preferably being two slots within the channel length corresponding to a panel height. It will be noted that mounting holes-44 registerwith slots 46 so that fasteners may beapplied easily. While slots 46 may be simply. rectangular in shape, it is preferred to form them as keyhole slots so that the panels applied thereto maybe locked in place against undesiredreinoval. To this end each slot 46 normally has anofiset vertical extension 41. I

Referring back to the lateral flanges 40 of the panels, the flanges have portions cut away so as to form upper and lower hooks 49 and 50 (Figs. 11 and 13). These hooks have a maximum and minimum vertical dimension, the former being receivable within slot 46 and its extension 41. After the hooks have been interfitted with the slots of the channels, the minimum hook dimension allows the panel to be moved to the left, looking at Fig. 8, thereby locking the panel to the channel.

Adjacent lateral flanges 40 of horizontally adjacent panels are, of course, supported by a common vertical channel 42. Bosses 52 (Figs. 11 and 12) may be provided on the flanges to insure proper panel spacing for the reception of caulking material.

This second form of mounting means is particularly useful where the panels surround openings in the wall such as doors or large windows. By applying a porcelain enamel finish to the channel 42 bordering such an opening, no molding or other form of edging is required in order to produce a finished job.

From the above description it is thought that the construction and advantages of my invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Various changes in detail may be made without departing from the spirit or losing the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In combination with a building wall, a plu rality of vertically spaced, horizontally disposed,

elongated rigid strips attached to said wall, each strip having a generally central longitudinal bend therein whereby the upper portion of the strip extends away from said wall at an upwardly facing acute angle, and a plurality of metal panels each having rearwardlyextending lateral, top and bottom flanges, thelateral flanges 01' each panel having horizontally aligned, inclined slots therein interfitting with the upper portion of a strip, the bottom flange of each panel extending rearwardly farther than said lateral flanges by a distance equal toj the thickness of said strip whereby said bottom flange bears against said wall disposing said panel in general parallelism with said wall.

RICHARD E. FOX.

References Cited in the file'of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,728,231 Denk Sept. 17, 1929 1,966,041 Nelson July 10, 1934 2,051,064 Worden Aug. 18, 1936 2,053,438 Lunken et a1 Sept. 8, 1936 2,143,280 Reintjes Jan. 10, 1939 2,171,221 Maus Aug. 29, 1939 2,207,454 Brierly July 9, 1940 2,245,785 Jentzer, Jr June 17, 1941 2,251,991 Fellner Aug. 12, 1941 2,295,304 Stoddard et al Sept. 8, 1942 2,317,015 Allen Apr. 20, 1943 2,395,726 Del Tufo Feb. 26, 1946 

